Rotatable and compressible multiple contact switch



June 23, 1964 B. E. SHLESINGER, JR 3,138,572

ROTATABLE AND COMPRESSIBLE MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH Filed March 11, 196376 tumunmlulnnw MIHIIIIlllllllllllllll I A II/Ill IIIIIIL r I,

INVENTOR Bernard Edward Shiesinger, J;

BY W %*W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,138,672 R'OTATABLE ANDCOMPRESSIBLE MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH Bernard Edward Shlesinger, Jr.,Annandale, Va. (945 Munsey Bldg, Washington, DC.) Filed Mar. '11, 1963,Ser. No. 264,409 7 Claims. (Cl. 20011) This invention relates toimprovements in multiple contact switches and the like. This inventionis an improvement over our United States Patent 2,874,237, February 17,1959, based on application Serial No. 700,354, filed December 3, 1957.

In the prior art, such as Reinschmidt, 2,472,230, switches of thisnature have been limited to a definite number of contacts andcombinations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a multiple contact rotaryswitch which has an unlimited number of combinations. It is a furtherobject of this invention to provide a multiple contact switch which iscompact and readily assembled. It is another object of this invention toprovide a contact switch in which contact by the rotary wiping member isassured at all times.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a contact switchwhich is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a contact switchwhich may be used for programming, computing, aircraft and rockets andthe like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a multiple switchwhich may be kept relatively free from dust and moisture.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a multiple switchhaving a rotary brush or Wiper of coil configuration Which coil exerts alateral force against the side walls of the switch container in order toinsure proper contact.

It is another object of this invention to provide a multiple switchwhich can operate to utilize several circuits simultaneously eachindependently of the other.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a multiple switchwhich is capable of being readily assembled and disassembled. forincorporating new programmed systems.

Another object of this invention is to provide a multiple contact switchwhich provides ready replacement of a programmed system by insertion ofcontacts in a preprogrammed casing. Substitution of programmed circuitswhile maintaining certain circuits in reserve can be readilyaccomplished by this invention.

A further object of this invention is to provide a multiple contactswitch which is pre-programmed for a specific job and which is capableof being rapidly changed to another type of programming job withoutdisruption of the first programmed job.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example variousembodiments of this invention:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section view showing one embodiment of thisinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 22 ofFIGURE 1 showing the manner of mounting the rotatable plate upon theshaft;

FIGURE 2A is a section taken along the lines 2A2A of FIGURE 2 and viewedin the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective partially in sectionshowing the manner of mounting the rotatable plate upon the shaft;

3,138,672 Patented June 23, 1964 FIGURE 4 is a sectional view partiallyfragmented to show another modification of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a split casing member such as canbe utilized in this invention as generally shown in FIGURE 4;

' FIGURE 6 is a further modification of this invention showing insection a construction similar to that shown in FIGURE 4 but with thecoils alternating in direction and showing them under slightcompression.

The switch comprises a cylindrical casing C of any suitable insulatingmaterial such as molded phenolic materials, nylon, etc. The casing C hasone end closed by a wall member 2 having a central opening into which ismolded a metal bushing 4 which has its external periphery 6 threaded toreceive a suitable fastening nut 8 for mounting the switch on a panelmember 10. The opposite end of the casing C has seated therein a closuremember 20 which may be of the same material as the casing C and Whichmay be fastened thereto in any convenient manner, for example, bythreading, cement, or the like.

The member 20 has a central opening in which is molded a bearing sleeve22.

Fastened to the inner face of the member 20 by suitable eyelets orrivets 24, is a metal disc 26 which is provided with an integral lug 28extending through the member 20.' Suitable contacts 30 are set in thecasing C. The contacts 30 may be molded integrally therewith or may beinserted at any subsequent time. The contacts 30 extend through to theinside of the casing C.

A rotary sleeve or tubular shaft 40 has one end journaled in the bearingsleeve 22 and the other end journaled in the metal bushing 4. For thepurpose of restraining the shaft 40 against lengthwise movement withrespect to the casing, it is provided with annular grooves into whichare fitted retainer rings 42 and 44 respectively. Tubular shaft 40 isprovided at its upper end with a gear 46. Tubular shaft member 40 is cutout from both ends as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 to provide flats 48,50, 52, and 54. The flats 48, 50, 52, and 54 register with acorresponding opening in insulating plate, disc, or wafer 56 havingthreads as at 58.

A second shaft 60 as best shown in FIGURE 3 is centrally threaded andengages threads 53. The shaft 60 is journaled on tubular shaft 40 onbearing surfaces 62 and 64. The threaded portion of the shaft 60 has nothreads which project beyond the bearing surfaces 62 and 64. The purposeof this is to prevent threading action of the shaft 60 with the shaft 40in which it is journaled. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the shaft 40 maybe recessed interiorly as at 66 in order to prevent engagement of thethreads with the inside of the tubular shaft 40. Another means ofengagement (not shown) is to increase the diameter of the journalsurfaces at 62 and 64 of the shaft 60. At one end of the shaft 60 is anannular groove into which is fitted a retainer ring 68. At the other endof the shaft 60 is a gear 70 having a button 72 mounted thereon. Betweenthe gear 46 and the gear 70 is a spring 74 which maintains the two gearsin spaced relationship with one another. A key not shown permits thegear 70 to reciprocate on the shaft 60 while maintaining its journaledrelationship therewith. A pin 76 on gear 70 engages in a recess 78 ongear 46 when the button 72 is pushed downwardly, thereby locking thegears together. Some type of snap action locking mechanism could be usedto maintain position if necessary.

Mounted on the panel 10 is a rotatable gear 80 which is biased upwardlyby a spring 82. Gear 80 meshes with gear 46. Also mounted on the panel10 is a gear 84 which is spring biased by a spring 86. Gear 84 mesheswith gear '70. The springs 82 and 86 may be eliminated if gears 80 and84 are maintained at a fixed height by locking keys or splined shafts orthe like (not shown).

In FIGURE 1, contact coils 90 and 92 are secured at one end to insulateddisc 56. Contact coil 90 is secured at 94 and contact coil 92 is securedat 96.

The other end of the coils 90 and 92 have wiping contacts 97 and 98respectively which travel in a groove 99 in the metal disc 26. The disc26 may be of nonconductive material and the contact lead 28 may bedisregarded as the circuitry may run from one contact 30 through coil 99or 92 to another contact 36 without bringing in the lead 28. It will beobvious that if plate 26 is conductive, the coils themselves will bethen connected in circuit, providing the wiping contact members 97 and98 are conductive. It is possible to vary the system by having one ofthe wiper members 97 or 98 of non-conductive material in order toprevent conduction across the plate 26 and from one coil to another. Itwill be obvious that variations can be used depending upon theparticular circuitry desired.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 4, a series of plates P are showneach supporting an individual coil K.

For necessity of operation the uppermost plate P in most instances mustbe connected to the gearing mechanism as in FIGURES 2 and 3 forreciprocating purposes. When the upper plate P is moved downwardly, thespacing between the other plates P can be maintained if the other platesare threaded as is the upper plate P. If the lower plates are free toslide up and down on the shafts 49 and 60, compression will take placewith respect to each of the coils K supported by the plates P. If theplates P are threadedly engaged with shaft 60, then compression will nottake place except on the lowermost coil K. The central coils K willmaintain their pitch without change upon reciprocation of the plates P.It will be obvious that variations of the circuitry can be accomplishedby maintaining the plates free or bound to the shafts as desired inorder to obtain compression or not to obtain compression between thecoils K and their respective plates P. It is also obvious that theplates P may be conductive or non-conductive in the same manner as plate26 and. as heretofore described. By alternating the conductivity of theplates; i.e. by making one plate conductive and the other platenon-conductive, additional circuits can be designed and considerableflexibility in the system can be obtained. It will be further obvious,that by leaving the upper plate P disengaged from the threads of theshaft 60, and freely slidable n the shafts 4t) and 60, and by making oneof the lower or all of the lower plates threadably engageable with theshaft 60, expansion of the upper coil K can be accomplished, and anyintermediate coils, depending upon which of the plates are engaged withthe shaft 60.

It will be further obvious that one or more coils may be secured to anyone of the plates P as in FIGURE 1. There of course is some limit to thenumber of coils which can be secured to a single plate and perhaps notmore than four will be secured to a single plate because uponcompressibility, the coils begin to interfere with one another as theyreach a lower stage of compression. This of course would interfere withproper circuitry. It is also of course obvious that the length of thecylinder will permit a larger number of coils to be used since theywould not be likely to interfere with one another. Many more coils canbe used on a long cyilnder than can be used on a short cylinder from thecompressibility standpoint.

FIGURE 6 is similar to FIGURE 4 in that it provides a plurality ofplates P and a plurality of coils K. The substantial difference betweenFIGURE 4 and FIGURE 6 is that the coils are shown to be alternatelyreversed in pitch with respect to each other. It is obvious that in alarge casing where there are more than three coils as shown in FIGURE 6,two coils may run in the same direction and another coil may run inreverse direction without being alternately positioned as illustrated.It is further obvious that any arrangement of coils in which the pitchesare changed can be utilized depending upon circumstances and design ofthe particular switching system.

FIGURE illustrates one type of casing C which could be used in thisinvention. In FIGURE 5, the casing C is shown constructed of two halves100 and 102. The

halves 100' and 162 are provided with beading at the ends thereof 104 orwith recesses 106 as best shown in FIGURE 4. It is obvious that theparts of the casing may have either recesses or heading as desired. Thebead 104 and the recess 106 of the casing C engages in the upper andbottom portions of the switch housing in corresponding recesses or beadsas the case may be.

It is to be noted that the casing C may be perforated with a series ofholes of a particular design depending upon the desires of a particularuser. If the bottom member 20 and the upper member 2 are somewhat offlexible nature, the members 102 and 104 can be snapped into position.It will then be obvious that ready interchangeability is allowed and theuser can have ready made programming circuits set up for various typesof jobs. Merely by inserting the contacts 30 into the holes 106 in thedesired positions, a set programming system can be pro vided which canthen be snapped into the assembly or substituted for another previouslydesigned program system.

Operation For the foregoing description, it will now be readily seenthat upon rotation of the shaft 40 simultaneously with the shaft 60,coils and 92 will rotate without being placed under compression. Thiswill change the position of the contacts with relation to the casingwall.

If, however, shaft 60 is rotated independently of shaft 40, coils 90 and92 will begin to compress since plate 55 is in threaded engagement withthe threads of shaft 60. This will change the contacts vertically on theinside face of the casing wall. For further understanding of theoperation of this invention, reference is made to my United StatesPatent 2,874,237 issued February 17, 1959.

While the invention has been described in connection with differentembodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of furthermodifications, and this application is intended to cover any variations,uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, theprinciples of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosures as come within known or customary practice in theart to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to theessential features hereinbefore set forth and fall within the scope ofthe invention or the limits of the appended claims.

'Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A multiple contact switch comprising. a casing, stationary electricalcontacts in the wall of said casing, a

2. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1. and wherei in said contactmembers comprise a series of vertically stacked coils, a series ofvertically stacked coaxial rotary non-conductive members alternatelyinterdigitated with said coils, each of said coils having one end freeand the other end secured to an adjacent interdigitated member.

3. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contactmembers include a plurality, of vertically stacked coils, and wherein atleast one of said coils of the stack is convoluted in a directionopposite to another of said coils in said stack.

4. A multiple contact switch comprising a casing having stationarycontacts in the wall of said casing, a rotatable shaft supported by saidcasing, a plurality of rotatable plates mounted on said shaft, aplurality of spaced separate, individual, coaxial, conductive, rotatablecoils supported by said plates, means connected to said shaft forrotating said plates and coils, and means connected to said shaft forvertically shifting said plates and compressing said coils, wherebyrotation or compression or both of said coils from one position toanother changes the electrical circuitry from one circuit to another.

5. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contactmembers include at least one pair of parallel, coextensive coils.

6. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contactmembers comprise at least one pair of vertically spaced stacked coils.

7. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contactmembers include at least one pair of vertically spaced stacked coilshaving a spacer member separating one member of the pair from the othermember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,472,230 Reinschmidt June 7, 1949 2,874,237 Shlesinger Feb. 17, 19593,047,683 Shlesinger July 21, 1963

4. A MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH COMPRISING A CASING HAVING STATIONARYCONTACTS IN THE WALL OF SAID CASING, A ROTATABLE SHAFT SUPPORTED BY SAIDCASING, A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE PLATES MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, APLURALITY OF SPACED SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL, COAXIAL, CONDUCTIVE, ROTATABLECOILS SUPPORTED BY SAID PLATES, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FORROTATING SAID PLATES AND COILS, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FORVERTICALLY SHIFTING SAID PLATES AND COMPRESSING SAID COILS, WHEREBYROTATION OR COMPRESSION OR BOTH OF SAID COILS FROM ONE POSITION TOANOTHER CHANGES THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY FROM ONE CIRCUIT TO ANOTHER.